Power Stars: Larry's ascension
by Veggiebad
Summary: When Bowser dies, he left a mysterious map that leads to a fabled temple. There, the sages warned that both the Mushroom and the Koopa Kingdom will fall. It is up to Larry, Iggy and Lemmy to save the planet and avenge their father. Rated T for blood.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Sorry for not being on for a while. I am working on my comics on DA. I promise to keep working on my FF's._

**Chapter 1, Death and rebirth**

"You don't have to do this, Bowser!" Peach exclaimed, grabbing at the bars of her cage.

Bowser had his back turned on her, and closed his eyes. The heated air of Bowser's fortress had induced a shrill of fear inside the princess.

"Mario left me no choice." Bowser answered. "I have to put a stop to his murderous tirade before it's too late."

"Mario would never do this!" Peach said. "He wouldn't do such horrible things!"

Bowser sighed.

"I wish I could believe you." Bowser said. "Violence shouldn't be my solution, but our conflict must end."

"What will you do to Mario?" Peach asked.

"Mario will stand trial." Bowser replied. "The court will decide his fate. We koopas abide by our principals, even in the time of war."

"What about Luigi?" Peach said. "What will he do once his brother is dead?"

"What about my children?" Bowser replied. "It's bad enough that I didn't tell them that I'm going into my grave. I promised to them that I'll be home."

Peach's heart sank. She is scared and confused about Bowser's statement.

"Wh- what are you talking about?" Peach said.

"Koopas and toads alike feel fear when it comes to death itself." Bowser said. "The reason is that they don't know their fate. I am gifted to know my time and fate of my death. This day… I die in the hands of my enemy."

Unlike everyone else, Bowser doesn't fear death, because he knows his time to pass. What he does fear, is his children dealing with his death. As Mario's footsteps grew louder, Bowser clenched his fists and prepared for the inevitable. He remembered the joyous time where his seven children were born. Throughout his lifetime, he watched as his children became happy and playful. The downside is that he made too many promises to them. Now he feels guilty since the promises will be broken.

"My fate is my own." Bowser thought. "My children's fate will begin, once I pass."

Bowser squinted his eyes as the large wooden doors slowly open, revealing a man in blue overalls and a red hat. Mario stood before Bowser, glaring at him and looking directly at Peach who was confused by Mario's appearance.

"Mario, we can end this now." Bowser said. "Turn yourself in and I will release the princess."

Mario smirked.

"I only want the princess!" he said.

Both Bowser's and Peach's jaw dropped. Never before had they heard Mario talk. Bowser soon doubts that he was even staring at Mario, for he believed that the one trying to rescue the princess was an imposter.

"You have crossed many boundaries, Mario!" Bowser yelled. "Your actions are unforgivable!"

Mario immediately lunged at Bowser. Bowser swung his fist at Mario, missing him. Mario jumped backwards and threw a volley of fireballs, but Bowser dodged it and placed his hands together. Fire surrounded his hands and a beam of energy erupted from his palms. A huge cloud of smoke enveloped Mario, but he managed to lunge at Bowser. Mario threw a flurry of punches which were blocked and Bowser countered the last punch by throwing him into a wall. An axe fell onto the floor that nearly impaled Mario. Without hesitation, Mario swiped Bowser's feet, knocking him into the floor. Bowser eyed at an axe that fell and tried to grab it. Unfortunately, Mario grabbed the axe and plunged it into his abdomen. Blood oozed from the wound and Bowser staggered backwards, writhing in pain. Peach's eyes widened as she realized that what Bowser said was true.

"Oh, my!" Peach thought. "Did he actually know what was going to happen to him?"

"Princess!" Mario exclaimed while unlocking the cage. "Let's go!"

Peach eyed at Bowser, who was breathing heavily. Bowser saw the images of Mario and Peach disappear into darkness. He then remembered his promise that he made to his seven children. When he finally comes home, he will be done with fighting forever and he'll be with his children until the day he dies. Suddenly, Bowser's troops arrived and were horrified at the sight of their king.

"Someone help!" One soldier said. "The king is dying!"

"My noble soldier…" Bowser said, breathing heavily. "Please… tell my children… that I love them… that my fate will not be theirs…"

The breaths of Bowser slowly died out, and his eyes closed as his heart slows into a stop. A feeling of sadness and self loathing was instilled into the soldier. Bowser was dead. It was a tragedy that even the strongest Koopa would grieve to.

"We've… failed…" The soldier said, tearfully. "I've failed… I swore to protect the king… and now he's dead…"

Other soldiers walked inside, grieving over the fallen king. They were later given orders to send the body back home, where the children were expecting their father to be back.

* * *

><p>A cool, calming breeze enveloped Larry, as he sat down on the Cliffside with his brother, Iggy. They watched the sun setting over the horizons of the koopa kingdom. There were rumors from the Mushroom kingdom that the Koopa kingdom is vile and unpleasant. In reality, it was one of the most calm and beautiful places on the planet. Large plateus, green fields, and clear skies which is ideal for a Koopa, or anyone from that matter.<p>

"Iggy, is Soda Lake really filled with soda?" Larry asked.

"Perhaps." Iggy replied. "I read about it, but we've never actually been there."

"Daddy promised to take us there!" Larry said gleefully. "We can finally see stuff outside the castle!"

"I hope." Iggy replied. "Dad is always fighting with Mario, even though he promised a lot of things to us."

"Why is daddy fighting with Mario?" Larry said. "Why can't they be friends?"

"I don't know." Iggy replied. "Dad doesn't like it when we get involved in his work."

Even though Bowser was soft when it comes to being a father, he keeps his job a secret to them. The reason was that if they get involved, his children will become in great danger.

"I can't wait for daddy to come home!" Larry said. "He also promised us that he will stop fighting with Mario!"

Larry soon eyed at massive amounts of soldiers marching into the castle entrance. He stood up to get a better look, but the soldiers entered before he had the chance to see what's going on.

"Iggy, what's happening?" Larry asked.

"Not sure." Iggy replied. "Let's get back to the castle. I think dad's home."

Larry and Iggy walked back to the castle using the back door. Polished stone, decorated with emblems and rugs filled the scenery as they walked into the throne room. As the doors opened, they saw the rest of the koopalings crying.

"What?" Larry thought. "What's going on, here?"

"Roy, what happened?" Iggy said.

"Dad…"Roysaid, before he was overwhelmed with sadness and rushed into his room.

Iggy raised an eyebrow. Larry walked up to Wendy to ask the same question.

"Wendy, why are you crying?" Larry said.

"Daddy…" Wendy said before she drowned out her words with sobs.

Larry and Iggy turned to the casket, where the Koopa troopas looked down in sadness and shame. The two brothers walked up to the casket, and tears were welling up as they touched the cold, stone sign which was emblazoned "Bowser: gone, but not forgotten."

Larry's feet collapsed and he cried his eyes out. Tears started to drip on the floor. Iggy's glasses were stained with tears as he clamped his eyes shut.

"Why…" Larry said. "You promised… you promised that you'll be home! It's not fair!"

He could have said more, but his words are drowned in tears and sobs. Bowser, the koopaling's beloved father, was killed. He gave the guards a promise to not tell the children of his killer, because he didn't want them to descend to his level.

"Iggy... Larry... It's best for you to leave..." A guard said, moving the casket away. "We have citizens coming to grieve too. We're just keeping you safe."

Iggy tearfully placed his hand on Larry's shoulder. Larry looked up with tears dripping down from his face.

"Let's… let's go." Iggy said. "We can't stay here…"

Larry's sobs turned into a whimper as he used all of his strength to help himself up and follow Iggy out of the throne room.

* * *

><p>The next day, an advisor to Bowser looked over the king's last will. The will contained Bowser's prized possessions and treasures that he kept for years. Larry stared at the advisor, who wore blue robes and an embroidered cape.<p>

"I know your father's death affected your lives…" The advisor said. "He will not be forgotten, but we need to stay strong. I'm sure your father wanted you to be successful, don't you think?"

Iggy received a map that was very vague and not really useful for finding anything.

"This doesn't even have anything written on here!" Iggy said. "All I can see is dotted lines and an X at the end!"

"Bowser told me that you're capable of finding secrets." The advisor said. "He rambles to everyone on how smart you are. I'm sure you can figure it out on your own."

Larry received a gold necklace that was used to defend Bowser against ghosts. It also had a mysterious star ornament with four jewels emblazoned on its surface.

"Your father treasured this necklace as a sign of hope, Larry." The advisor said. "He also told me that this necklace has special powers… powers that no being on this planet could possibly imagine. Take great care of it."

The others also received treasures, but for some reason, Lemmy was still in his room. He was isolated from the other Koopalings for a day. At this point, it made Larry worried, fearing the worst for Lemmy.

"I need to check on Lemmy." Larry said as he replaced his old spiked choker with the gold necklace.

Larry walked up to Lemmy's room and saw him balancing on the ball. He was hearing whispers coming out of Lemmy's mouth.

"Daddy's not dead…" Lemmy murmered.

Larry was getting aggravated by him saying that. For hours, his siblings are trying to tell Lemmy that Bowser was dead. All Lemmy could do is to deny it and continued to balance on his favorite ball.

"DADDY'S NOT DEAD!" Lemmy yelled.

"DAD IS DEAD!" Larry said as Lemmy lost his balance and fell onto the floor. "He's not coming back! Have you seen the coffin? Have you seen us crying? Dad is dead!"

Lemmy whimpered. His eyes started to fill with tears as he looked at the ball he was balancing on. He remembered the trick he did before he could walk. Bowser used to laugh in joy as Lemmy balanced on the ball with his one hand and back- flipped over the ball with incredible ease. Bowser picked him up and caught him in a hug.

"L-Lemmy…" Larry said. "Please… don't… I didn't mean it like that!"

Lemmy sobbed and clamped his eyes shut. It was surprising for Larry because he and the other Koopalings have never seen Lemmy cry. Lemmy was the most fun loving and happy Koopa Larry had ever laid his eyes upon. Insults never worked on him and he always had a way to bring a smile to anyone's face no matter the situation. When Larry saw Lemmy cry, a massive wave of guilt overtook him. It was to the point where he couldn't have the strength to not look at the floor.

"Lemmy… I-I'm sorry." Larry said. "I didn't mean it, I swear."

Larry ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"It's not fair!" Lemmy said.

"I know…" Larry said.

"What will happen to us?" Lemmy said before he whimpered.

"We're still here." Larry said. "Dad wants us to be strong, Lemmy. I want you to stay strong for me, alright?"

"Okay..." Lemmy said, followed by a sniff.

Iggy stood by the door with the map and a huge book. The book was an atlas that Bowser gave to him when he was born.

"Larry, I need you to look at this!" Iggy said. "It's important!"

Larry and Lemmy walked out of the room and saw Iggy flipping through the book's pages. There, he turned to a map of both the Mushroom and Koopa kingdom.

"The map that dad gave us is transparent!" Iggy said while placing the map over the page. "The lines lead to the Lakitu Temple on the map! Do you think this means anything?"

"I only know that the Lakitu Temple is the place where dad visited!" Larry said. "He told us about some great power within the stars… does it have anything to do with my necklace?"

"Perhaps." Iggy said. "Let's pack our bags. We're heading for the temple!"

"Can I go with you guys?" Lemmy said.

Iggy sighed. Lemmy's pleading look is evident that he is enthusiastic about going into the temple.

"Yeah, you can come with us, I suppose." He replied.

"But how are we going to go all the way to the temple?" Larry asked.

"I told Wendy to not have the guards follow us." Iggy said. "We need to be disguised as ordinary Koopas so we won't be easy targets."

"We're walking?" Larry asked.

Iggy nodded.

* * *

><p>Larry, Iggy, and Lemmy walked for over four hours in the forest of illusion. The three carried huge backpacks containing their food, wands, and water. They also wore hooded linen robes to disguise themselves as young travelers. It seemed like an eternity for the three Koopalings to make their way out of the forest. Thankfully, Iggy was able to find the correct passageway which led them out of the forest.<p>

"Night is rolling in." Iggy said removing his backpack. "Let's rest for now."

"And I thought we'd never get out of the forest!" Larry said. "I'm starving!"

Suddenly, piranha plants erupted from the soil, lunging at Iggy. Iggy darted out of the way and grabbed his wand.

"Piranha plants!" Larry yelled as both he and Lemmy dropped their backpacks and wielded their wands.

Another piranha plant lunged at Larry, but Iggy waved his wand, causing the plant to catch fire. The plant withered in flames and turned into soot. Lemmy waved his wand, sending a shock- wave which severed the rest of the piranha plants from the ground.

"I think that's the last of them!" Larry exclaimed.

Suddenly, a giant piranha plant erupted from the piranha plants that the Koopalings have killed. This one is more massive than its brethren and it was angered by the three's presence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2, The aura within**

"I've never seen a piranha plant that was bigger than a castle before!" Larry thought as he gripped his wand tightly.

The large piranha plant raised its tentacle- like arm and tried to smash Lemmy. With incredible speed, Lemmy was able to roll out of the way and waved his wand, creating a rain of fireballs. Unfortunately, the plant's skin was tough and resistant to fire. This angered the plant further, causing it to open its giant mouth. Saliva- like nectar dripped from its gaping jaw and emitted a blood- curdling roar which frightened the three Koopalings.

"Iggy!" Larry yelled. "What do we do now?"

"Hold on!" Iggy replied. "I'm thinking, here!"

Iggy suddenly eyed at a glowing patch of plant flesh which was deep within its mouth. He later remembered that all giant piranha plants have organs which control the food source of these plants. It was highly flammable and the flesh is not strong enough to withstand fires.

"Lemmy!" Iggy said. "Can you aim your fireball into its mouth?"

Lemmy nodded as he waved his wand, creating a fireball. The giant piranha plant quickly realized that Lemmy was targeting its mouth and quickly closed it. It then slammed its arm into the ground, creating massive fissures. Lemmy jumped over the fissure and waved his wand to create a bomb- omb. He quickly grabbed it and threw it at the plant's abdomen. The massive blast of the bomb- omb caused the plant to open its mouth. Larry immediately threw a fireball at the plant's weak point, slamming directly into the yellowed flesh, causing the plant to close its mouth again. This time, the plant's head started to bulge and its body started to glow red.

"Uh, guys…" Iggy said. "I think it's best for us to run!"

The three immediately sprinted away from the plant, knowing that the plant will explode at any moment. As they ran farther away, they could smell smoke spewing from the plant's body, which is now a ticking time bomb. Suddenly, the plant's body ruptured, causing a massive explosion that knocked Iggy, Larry, and Lemmy off their feet and sent them soaring into the air. Lemmy landed face- first into the ground while Larry and Iggy slid across the grass.

"Ow!" Lemmy said, rubbing his face. "That hurt!"

Larry looked back at the piranha plant which was engulfed in flames. Its withering body turned into ash as its flesh and nectar burned, fueling the fire. Thankfully, their backpacks were nowhere near the blast. Larry sighed in relief and placed his wand back into his backpack.

"Hey!" Iggy said, pointing at the small building which was high in the mountains. "We're close to the temple!"

"Can we rest for a little bit?" Larry said. "I'm tired."

Iggy yawned. Fighting against giant piranha plants had drained the koopaling's stamina. It was wise for them to rest. Besides, the sun was setting and they have no choice but to wait until sunrise.

* * *

><p>Peach was growing more and more suspicious over Mario. She constantly hears Mario talk to his fellow Toads and was bragging about how he had killed Bowser and rescued Peach again. Although she didn't mind Mario having a little pride, the way he was portrayed angered her.<p>

"Why is Mario acting this way?" Peach thought. "It doesn't even make any sense."

Suddenly Goombella appeared before Mario, congratulating him on his expedition.

"Mario!" Goombella said enthusiastically. "How did it go with Bowser?"

Mario ignored her and walked into the throne room. Peach's suspicion grew since Mario and Goombella were close friends.

"Wait!" Goombella said. "Guess… I'll see you around then."

"Mario is acting strange today…" Peach said.

"Weird…" Goombella said. "Maybe he needs to vent his anger or something…"

"I'm starting to think that Mario was really an imposter…" Peach said.

"What?" Goombella said. "How can you say that? He saved you from Bowser!"

"Mario never killed anyone before." Peach said, rubbing her head. "Before, Bowser always captures me, but in the end, Mario still spares him."

Goombella thought about the situation for a moment.

"You're right…" Goombella said. "Something's fishy… I'll get to the bottom of this as soon as I can."

"Be careful." Peach said. "Don't let Mario know that you're spying on him."

Goombella nodded and left the castle. Peach walked to the throne room where a Koopa family was confronted by Mario and the guards. The family looked poor since they wore stained linen clothing. They were also farmers since the husband was wearing farm attire with a straw hat. The children looked up at Mario in fear and Peach stormed into the throne room.

"Please!" A female koopa said, tearfully. "Don't execute us! We're farmers! Not fighters!"

"Orders are orders!" Mario said. "Your family was entering our territory!"

"Please!" The husband said. "I didn't know your boundaries! I was just trying to feed my children! Let my family go! I'll pay you a fine or anything! Be merciful here! We mean no harm!"

The husband looked at her wife. Her tears dripped down from her face, expressing fear, confusion and sadness. Peach soon realized that Mario had gone too far.

"Have you lost your mind Mario?" Peach said in anger. "These farmers didn't do anything! Let them go!"

"I knew something was fishy about you!" Goombella said, entering the throne room. "The Mario I know would never be a power hungry fiend!"

"Alright, princess…" Mario said with a smirk. "Now you'll have a choice! Shall I execute the enemy, or a friend?"

Guards surrounded Goombella restraining her. Peach's heart sank. She knew that one person would die in her hands. Goombella saw the scared family. The farmer's children started to cry and hug on their father's leg.

"Princess!" Goombella said. "Choose me! Don't let that fiend get what he wants!"

"But, Goombella-!" Peach said.

"Don't worry about me!" Goombella said. "Just choose me!"

"Maybe I can execute both the enemy and Goombella if it's taking you a long time to choose!" Mario said.

"Dad... I'm scared!" One of the children said. "What's gonna happen to us?"

"Peach!" Goombella said. "Would you rather save the life of one person, or save the lives of many? These farmers did nothing!"

Peach tearfully pointed to Goombella. Soon, the guards took Goombella away and the farmers were escorted out of the castle. Goombella smiled, in content that she did something heroic, even though she's awaiting her execution.

"I will never forgive you for this!" Peach yelled, glaring at Mario.

"Good, then you'll never forget it." Mario said with a smirk. "Guards, escort the princess back into her quarters."

The princess exited the throne room, regretting to ever return to the Mushroom Kingdom. She glared at Mario, smirking at her. He gave her a smirk of a true villain. The righteous eyes and the wicked smile disturbed the princess.

"I must go to the Koopa kingdom!" Peach thought. "We've been lied to by a fiend!"

* * *

><p>Iggy, Larry, and Lemmy looked up in awe when they arrived at the Lakitu Temple. The temple was beautifully decorated with gold, pearls and white marble. Doors were emblazoned with seven stars and Lakitus high above the clouds.<p>

"This place looks amazing!" Larry said.

"You should be thankful that I found this place." Iggy said. "Now we need to open this door."

Larry stared at the gold star attached to his necklace. The four diamonds that were decorating the star started to glow. He pointed the star at the door out of curiosity and a beam of white light shot out of the star and landed on one of the emblazoned carvings on the door. Slowly, the huge doors opened, revealing three elder Lakitus. These Lakitus wore white robes and mounted on clouds which floated over a fountain. As the three koopalings entered the temple, the temple doors were sealed.

"We were waiting for you." One Lakitu said. "Fate has brought you three to our temple. Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Kalut, sage of life."

"I am Jani, sage of time." Another Lakitu said.

"And I am Runi, sage of the aura." Said the last Lakitu.

"Since you were willing to travel across the lands to reach our temple, we have took the liberty to train you." Kalut said. "Your fate will unfold after training."

The three Koopalings were unsure about the training, but accepted anyway, since the three have nothing left to lose. Larry, Iggy, and Lemmy brought out their backpacks to grab their wands. Suddenly, the wands floated to Runi, who grabbed them and stored them in a lock- box.

"Hey!" Larry said. "Give us our wands back!"

"You won't be needing them." Runi said.

Larry was puzzled at Runi's response. Throughout his lifetime he needed his want to protect himself against danger. Since he was 5, his wand was always with him. Now, he felt bad when his wand was taken away.

"Won't be needing em'?" Larry said. "We always use our wands! We killed a giant piranha plant with them!"

"A giant piranha plant isn't even a formidable foe, because a novice pupil can destroy the plant with ease." Runi replied.

"I find that offensive!" Iggy said, crossing his arms. "We tried our best to defend ourselves from the piranha plant!"

"The enemy you'll face will be much more ruthless than a mere piranha plant." Runi replied. "By training with me, you will be stronger."

Jani waved his hand, signaling a Goomba to carry a cart- full of clothes towards the three Koopalings. Larry grabbed an article of clothing and examined it. It was a blue vest made with linen. Larry and Iggy examined their clothing too.

"Get dressed." Jani said. "Your training starts soon."

* * *

><p>Next day, the three koopalings appeared before the three sages with their uniforms on. Runi applauded that they were disciplined and enthusiastic. Suddenly his eyes started to glow, which caused three auras of light to surround Larry, Iggy and Lemmy.<p>

"Of course!" Runi said to himself. "Their power is locked within their bodies!"

"What's going on?" Iggy asked, being startled at the surrounding aura.

"This aura is energy emitted from your own soul." Runi replied. "Everyone has an aura, but few can use their aura to gain special powers. By using your aura, your powers can exceed even the strongest magic spells that your wands can contain."

"Auras?" Larry said. "What do you mean?"

Runi lifted his hand into the air and aimed it at a clay vase. A beam of yellow light shot out of his hand and slammed into the clay vase, breaking it. Iggy, Lemmy, and Larry looked at him with utter surprise. Since the Kooplalings were used to magic being casted by charmed objects, they were surprised that a sage didn't need any objects to alter an element, let alone shoot a beam of light with his bare hand.

"H- how did you do that?" Larry said

"I'll explain." Runi said. "Point your palm towards a vase and force your aura into the palm of your hand. Tell your aura to release itself towards the vase."

Larry nodded and lifted his hand towards another clay vase. Concentrating, he managed to control the aura in his body. A ring of blue light surrounded his arm and traveled up to his hand. Next, a blue orb of light soon appeared right in front of his palm. The heat that was generated from the orb was intense. Larry was surprised that he was able to concentrate his aura in such a short time.

"The orb is starting to burn!" Larry said. "What should I do now?"

"Release the aura!" Runi replied. "Release it and destroy the vase!"

Even though the way Larry was controlling the aura was pure luck, he later found out that he uses his mind and some of his body to control the aura inside him. With a little effort, he sent the orb flying at the vase, breaking it.

"Cool!" Iggy said enthusiastically. "I wanna try it!"

Iggy raised his hand over his head and channeled his aura into his fingers. A purple orb was spinning rapidly until it took the shape of a disc. He later threw the disc at another clay vase. Not only did he manage to smash the vase, but also slicing through the walls of the temple and drifting off into the sky.

"Oops..." Iggy said, blushing.

"No worries, you still have yet to control your aura for other means." Runi replied.

Larry saw Lemmy fiddling with his ball. He was balancing on it and bouncing it like a distracted child.

"Lemmy, what are you doing?" Larry said.

Lemmy lifted the ball off the ground and started to channel his aura onto its surface. As the ball was surrounded by an orange orb, he threw it, smashing one clay vase. Suddenly, he moved his hand, causing the ball to curve. Soon, the ball hit another vase. Lemmy repeated this until all the vases were smashed. Then, it returned to Lemmy.

"How's that?" Lemmy said, gleefully.

"Not bad at all." Runi said. "Now let's put your skill to the test."

* * *

><p>Peach saw Daisy sneaking into her quarters with a fire- flower. The fire- flower contains one of the most powerful herbs which can cause the user to be surrounded with fire. Only Mario, Luigi and Peach were known to be able to use the fire- flower.<p>

"Do we have everything we need?" Peach asked.

Peach looked out of the window to see the guards leaving for the night. She planned her escape by using Pidgets to carry letters to Daisy.

"Looks like it." Daisy replied. "Let's get out of here before Mario finds out!"

Both Daisy and Peach climbed out of a window and dropped down upon two Yoshis. Immediately, both Peach and Daisy traveled outside the castle. Mario stood in front of the castle entrance, smiling wickedly.

"This is all according to plan." Mario thought.

He saw the two princesses disappearing into the darkness. Since the princess is not in her throne, Mario is given full control to the mushroom kingdom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3, The prince of thieves**

Larry, Iggy, and Lemmy walked for hours into the Gritzy desert, searching for a secluded village nearby. Their assignment from the sages was to find a thief named Tien. The reason for this was that he stole a powerful artifact. Although Iggy tried to ask the sages about the artifact, they only said that it's up to Iggy and the others to find out. The sun was directly overhead the Koopalings, and the heat isn't helping them at all.

"Can you see anything, Iggy?" Larry asked.

Iggy shook his head.

"All I could see is vast amounts of sand." He replied.

"Did the sages pull a joke or something?" Lemmy said.

He soon saw a figure in the horizon. The figure was riding on a desert Yoshi and was heading straight for the Koopalings.

"Look!" He shouted. "Someone's coming!"

A Koopa troopa dressed in a green linen battle robe appeared before Larry. He has a scar under his left eye and a sword that was carried in his right hip. When he dismounted, his eyes were fixated on Larry's necklace.

"I believe you have something for me!" The Koopa said. "Didn't your parents tell you not to go out by yourselves?"

"You're Tien, aren't you?" Iggy said.

"Glad you know my name, little kid." Tien replied. "I am also known as the prince of thieves! I see you have a power star! Give it to me!"

Larry looked down at the star that was attached to his necklace.

"What?" Larry said. "You mean my necklace? Why?"

Tien laughed. Since the Koopalings were isolated from the rest of the world, they didn't know about powerful artifacts like the power stars.

"Are you kidding me?" He scoffed. "You brats don't even know what power stars are? They are magical stars scattered across the planet! Seven stars are needed until a Lakitu god, called Nezu, is summoned. There, you'll be granted a single wish!"

Larry looked back at his power star. Since he knew that what he's holding was extremely valuable, his sense of security increased. He later looked back and glared at Tien. Tien smirked at Larry.

"Thanks for telling us!" Larry said, grinning smugly. "Now we're never gonna give you the star!"

"Fine!" Tien said. "I'll take it from you, little brat!"

Tien brought out his fists and surrounded himself in a dark orange aura. The three koopalings were extremely surprised that Tien knew how to release his aura and manipulate it. Muscles started to expand in Tien's body, as his arua kept surrounding his arm.

"Notice my aura, kid?" He said. "You're not the only one with special powers!"

The aura surrounded Tien's right arm, taking the shape of a wolf. He lunged at Larry, pulling his fist back. A loud howl came from Tien's battle cry.

"WOLFANG FIST!" Tien yelled.

The wolf shaped aura blast landed on Larry's abdomen, causing Larry to fly in the air. Larry quickly recovered and landed on his feet. Although he managed to recover from Tien's move, the attack was extremely painful to Larry. After he recovered, he started to channel his aura into the palm of his hand.

"Now it's my turn!" Larry said as he continiues to channel his aura.

He threw a volley of aura orbs at Tien, dodging some but getting hit by the rest. Tien staggered backwards and re- channeled his aura into his body. This time, he used his aura to make mirror images of himself. Larry was startled at the three mirror images that Tien had created. Since they look alike, it was almost impossible for Larry to distinguish Tien from his mirror images.

"Hey!" Larry yelled. "That's cheating!"

"Heh, like my new technique?" Tien and the mirror images said, simultaneously. "Not only I can make copies of myself to fool you, they also fight for me!"

"Don't worry, Larry!" Iggy said. "We'll take care of him too!"

Tien and the mirror images started to lunge at the koopalings. Iggy dodged a flurry of punches and kicked the mirror image into the sky. He later threw an aura disk, slicing the mirror image in two. Lemmy kicked another mirror image of Tien in the face. Then, Lemmy kicked his ball, surrounding it in aura energy and causing it to seek the mirror image. The aura ball slammed into the mirror image, destroying it. Larry eyed on Tien and kicked him in the abdomen. Tien flew backwards but managed to recover. This time, Tien was getting aggravated over Larry.

"That's it!" Tien shouted. "I don't care if I have to kill you to get that power star! I'm getting it from you no matter what!"

Tien started to charge his aura and forced it into the palm of his hand. Large amounts of his aura started to swirl around his hand, creating a massive orb. Larry was startled at the size of the orb.

"Time to die!" Tien yelled as he released his aura.

A giant beam of dark orange energy flowed out of his arm towards Larry. Superheated air started to make the grains of sand rise. To Larry, time slowed down as the beam inches closer and closer to him. Larry had to act fast, or else he would get destroyed by Tien's aura blast.

"Oh no!" Larry thought. "I have to do something quick!"

He brought both of his hands on his right hip and forced all of his aura into the gap in between his hands. A bright, blue light started to shine within Larry's hands and his eyes are fixated on the beam.

"KA... ME... HA... ME...!" Larry yelled without thinking as he prepared to release his aura. "HA!"

Larry brought both of his hands foreword just before Tien's beam reached him and released a beam of blue light that was overpowering Tien's beam. Tien watched as the beam inched closer to his body, desperately trying to stop Larry's beam from advancing.

"Impossible!" Tien thought. "How can a little kid overpower my aura blast?"

He tried releasing all of his aura to stop Larry from overpowering him, but no matter how hard he tried, Larry's beam is far more powerful than Tien's aura blast. When the beam finally reached Tien, a giant explosion of both his and Larry's aura sent him flying. Tien slid across the ground, writhing in pain. As Larry's aura dissapates, he felt extremely drowsy.

"H-how... could I lose..." He thought. "... to a little kid?"

Iggy's and Lemmy's jaw dropped in amazement that Larry was able to perform such a devastating attack. Larry was surprised as well. He still had his hands foreword, frozen in fear.

"I have to ask..." Iggy said. "How did you do that?"

"Uh..." Larry said, blushing. "By accident?"

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Daisy said in astonishment as she saw a bright blue light shimmering in the distance.<p>

Even though the sun was shining in the sky, the light was bright to the point where anyone could see it. Peach and Daisy wore rough, linen robes for both disguise and protection against sunlight. They also wore silken scarves over their faces to conceal their identity.

"I can sense aura coming from the distance!" Peach said. "Let's take a look!"

They both rode their Yoshis to the light source and found Tien lying on the ground, breathing heavily. Peach walked over to Tien to asses the damage done by Larry. At the same time, Larry was worried that his blast might have killed Tien in the process.

"Hey..." Larry said, nervously. "Is Tien okay?"

"He's fine." Peach said. "Just a little shaken from the blast. No flesh was burned."

Larry breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to Tien, who was glaring at him. He was confused about Tien stopping at nothing to steal Larry's power star since he saw the sadness in Tien's heart by sensing his aura.

"I don't think you're a bad person, Tien." Larry said. "When I stopped your aura blast... I sensed your aura. I sensed extreme sadness within your heart... I wanna ask... why did you try to steal that star from us?"

Tien clamped his eyes shut. He had to confess his deed to Larry, since he had no room to lie.

"Fine!" He yelled. "I'll tell you! I have a little sister named Bastilla! Since my family was killed when I was eight, she's all I had left in this world! I promised Bastilla that I wouldn't let anything happen to her! That is, until she was afflicted with desert fever, deadly if not treated! I didn't have enough money for medicine, so I had to resort to stealing! Primarily the power stars! Even if I don't collect all seven of them, all I wanted was for my dear little sister to survive the illness! All I wished for was for my sister to not suffer and die!"

A tear dripped from Tien's eye, showing sadness and frustration. Larry looked down in guilt, finally realizing his purpose to steal. He remembered the death of his father and how he felt the extreme sadness in his heart.

"I didn't want to see my sister die before my eyes!" Tien said. "Now I failed her! I failed to save her!"

Peach brought out a fire flower and presented it to Tien.

"Try using this to cure her disease." Peach said.

"What?" Tien said. "A fire flower? You can't be serious! How is it the cure for her disease? Even if it is, if I try that, I'll burn my sister alive!"

"Not if you use its nectar." Iggy said. "The nectar from the fire flower has the capability to cure any disease."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass vial. Then, he took the fire flower and squeezed it from the stem. Glowing, orange liquid started to drip into the vial. Once the flower was all out of nectar, he sealed the vial and returned the flower to Peach. Iggy presented the vial to Tien.

"Take it, and give it to Bastilla." Iggy said.

Tien smiled as he pulled himself off of the ground.

"Here, I'll lead you to the village." Tien said.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the village in the middle of the Gritzy desert. Larry saw the shabby, poorly constructed huts that were made with old wood and dried straw. When Tien arrived at his hut, Bastilla was beneath a thin linen blanket. She was shivering violently and her forehead was red. Since her eyes are closed, she didn't notice anyone entering the hut.

"Quick!" Iggy said. "Give it to her!"

Tien nodded as he pried open Bastilla's mouth and gave her the dosage. Soon, Bastilla's eyes slowly opened, seeing Tein over her.

"B-brother?" Bastilla said. "You're here already?"

Tien smiled in relief and hugged her.

"I promise you that I'll never steal again!" Tien said.

"Here..." Larry said, giving him his power star. "You can have it."

"No, keep it." Tien said. "In fact, let me give you two of my power stars."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two power stars. One had three diamonds while another had two. Larry took the two power stars and stuffed them into his pocket.

"You kids need these more than I do." Tien said. "My wish has already been granted."

Soon, Peach and Daisy revealed themselves, startling Tien and the Koopalings. It was extremely unheard of for a Princess to leave the castle. The Koopalings thought that Peach would never leave the Mushroom kingdom unless she's being held against her will. This was the first time that Peach willingly left the castle.

"P-princess Peach?" He said. "Princess Daisy? What are you doing here?"

"We're on our way to the Koopa kingdom when we saw a blue flash." Peach replied. "We figured it was an aura blast."

"This little kid shouted something and unleashed a stream of blue aura at me." Tien said, pointing at Larry. "His blast overpowered mine!"

"Well..." Peach said, thinking. "What did he shout?"

Tien shrugged his shoulders. Peach looked at Larry, expecting him to answer.

"Wait, I didn't really put into thought on my last attack!" Larry said. "It was my last ditch effort! I swear!"

"Whether or not you put any thought into your attack..." Peach said. "It worked, didn't it?"

"Well... I shouted..." Larry said, trying to remember. "'Kamehameha?'"

Peach's eyes widened. The Kamehameha wave was one of the most powerful techniques. A person needed to have large sums of aura to actually perfom this move. Even if the person manages to obtain massive amounts of aura, the chances of performing that said move are very slim.

"T-the kamehameha wave?" Peach thought. "How can a Koopa learn that technique, Let alone a child?"

"You mean to tell me that you have just performed the Kamehameha wave?" Daisy said in astonishment.

"Maybe..." Larry said, shrugging his shoulders. "What's the big deal?"

"We need to return to the Lakitu Temple." Peach replied. "We'll explain everything."


End file.
